With the increasing complexity of modern life,
sociology plays an important role in helping governments, corporations and
citizens to cope better in a rapidly changing world.The methods and knowledge developed by
sociologists and the diverse subjects they study reflect the complexity of
human behavior and social life. The newly emerging patterns of social change
continue to alter our life, making the effective applications of social
analysis more important than everbefore
in solving problems of human organizations.

The Department of Sociology is committed to providing
sociological skills to people entering a wide variety of careers and
professions.The department is composed
of a diverse, innovative and stimulating faculty who teach and pursue research
in a variety of areas that are important in today’s changing world.The Sociology Program educates students for
many different careers in both public andprivate sectors, which increasingly recognizes the relevance of
sociological training for a broad range of professions and organizations. The
sociology faculty offers undergraduate and graduate programs with several
emphases that respond directly to the needs of today’s students.

Graduate students as well as undergraduate majors and
minors may concentrate their studies in a variety of applied fields such as
social work, law and society, social research and computer applications,
clinical and community studies or criminology.In addition, students may extend their research training and receive a
Certificate in Social Research, either graduate or undergraduate.

Undergraduates majoring in sociology may elect to
concentrate their studies in any of the areas mentioned above or in any of
several other areas that best fit their academic or professional goals.Students majoring in other disciplines or
professional programs may tailor a minor in sociology to complement their major
field of study.Sociology Minors are
offered to complement a wide range of majors, including psychology, political
science, computer science, liberal studies and many others.Graduate students often plan their studies in
the context of more specific career and professional goal, or to augment their
current professions.

Student Internships

Student internships are made available in subject
areas in the Sociology Department such as law and society, clinical and
communitysociology, criminology,
education and society, and others where faculty research and professional
practice provide such opportunities.Interested students should talk with faculty involved in such areas.

Graduate Studies in
Sociology

The Department offers an established graduate program
leading to the Master of Arts in Sociology.The program is designed to provide all students with a strong foundation
in sociological theory and research methodology.The graduate program is designed to allow for
a substantial degree of student choice. Students may choose a macro- or
micro-based program of study and select from several areas for further
specialization or experience.These
areas include, but are not restricted to, such concentrations as social
research and computer applications; sociology of education; community and
clinical sociology; law and society; criminology and deviance; and general
sociology.Students are expected to
select a major advisor who can best facilitate their specific interests in the
program.Dr. William Blishke, the
graduate program coordinator, provides students with detailed information about
the program, its options and current faculty interests and concerns. Finally,
students may choose one of the following options to complete their program of graduate
study: comprehensive exam, thematic project or thesis.Students with an interest in teaching and
administrative applications of the degree are encouraged to complete the degree
via examination.Those with research
interests or who may wish to pursue advanced graduate study toward a doctoral
degree are encouraged to opt for the thesis or thematic project options.

The Department of Sociology has an established record
of success in graduate education.Many
of the department’s graduates have found careers in research, teaching and a
wide range of other fields.Special
emphasis isplaced upon the acquisition
of practical and policy-relevant research through community participation by
graduate students in the Center for Urban Research and Learning.Students are encouraged to take an active
role in the department, the discipline and the wider community. Students may
apprentice in one or more of the many advanced forms of social scientific
research, including evaluation research, social impact analyses, ethnographic
field research, etc. Students who wish to pursue advanced study beyond the M.A.
degree may elect to take additional work necessary to acquire the Graduate
Certificate in Social Research.

Academic Advisement

Sociology faculty provide advisement for majors,
minors and graduate students in sociology, and also provide general education
advisement for sociology majors.Faculty
are available for both daytime and night students.

Students interested in law and society should contact
Jeanne Curran or LaTanya Skiffer; for advisement in criminology and deviance,
contact John Quicker; for clinical and community programs, contact Clare Weber
or Kara Zugman; for gerontology, contact Fumiko Hosokawa; for education and
society, contact Dexter Ed Bryan, William Blischke, or Richard Hovard; for
research and computer applications and the certificate programs in social
research, contact Robert Christie or Kanghu Hsu.For graduate advisement, William Blishke
should be contacted.For general
sociology advising, call 243-3431.Students are advised to contact an advisor early, in order to take the
best advantage of opportunities offered by the Department.

Preparation

High school students contemplating a major in
sociology are encouraged to take the college preparatory courses, including
English, mathematics and social sciences.Courses in computers, logic and life science also are recommended.

Students planning to transfer from community college
should consult with their counselor or advisor to assure that appropriate lower
division courses are completed before the transfer.

Career Possibilities

The Sociology Department’s programs are designed to
prepare students for graduate study in sociology and for professional positions
and careers in a variety of fields in federal, state and local agencies as well
as for jobs in private business and non- profit institutions.They also may complement technical and
administrative programs by broadening students’ understanding of social
behavior and social organization. The following brief descriptions cover some
typical areas of employment for sociology students.

Research

Sociologists work as researchers and data
analysts in many different types of employment settings.Some examples are:research in law enforcement agencies,
federal, state, and local government agencies; organizational research in
corporations; marketing and site selection research for banks; census research;
program evaluation research; legal research; prison research; human factors
research for “high-tech” industries; and applied social research in areas such
as worker morale, voter preferences and the social environment of
business.Contact the director
of the Center for Urban Research and Learning for further information, (310)
243-3500.

Teaching

Students may prepare for a
career in teaching science at the secondary level (junior high or high school)
by completing an approved "Subject Matter Preparation Program."Completion of such a program is the first
step in meeting the state requirements for a teaching credential.As the program requirements for the
"Subject Matter Preparation Program" in science have changed
recently, interested students should consult the departmentally designated
advisor for current information.

An undergraduate
degree in sociology with an emphasis in theory and research prepares one for
advanced study at the master’s and doctoral degree levels, necessary for
teaching atthe college and university
levels.For information concerning
social science and elementary school teaching careers, a special advisor is
available, Dexter Edward Bryan (243-3431).

Clinical and Applied
Practice

The sociology student may find careers in
agencies and departments that address social and interpersonal problems by
developing programs and employing professionals to assist their employees in
overcoming a wide range of life problems.Some enter marriage, family and child counseling ; others become
independent consultants to management for corporations or government, or even private
investigators.Some graduates have
started their own agencies in these fields.For further information, contact the Department of Sociology at (310)
243-3431.

Public Services

A great number of public agencies and community
organizations employ sociology graduates in their social services programs.
Some examples include social case worker, children’s services specialist,
police officer, parks and recreation worker, probation and parole officer, city
planning and environmental policy positions, agency-community liaison worker,
ombudsman, special agent for the FBI or Secret Service, human resources and
personnel managers, disabled services specialist, veterans affairs specialist,
community redevelopment director and adoption agency head.Contact the Department of Sociology for
career information or other questions, (310) 243-3431.

Student Organizations

The department has a chapter of Alpha Kappa Delta,
International Sociology Honor Society, for students who meet honor society
requirements.Contact the Department of
Sociology Office for details, (310) 243-3431, or email Dr. Herman Loether at
Loether@csudh.edu.

Graduation with
Honors

A undergraduate student may be a candidate for
graduation with honors in Sociology by meeting the following criteria:

1.A
minimum of 36 units in residence at CSU Dominguez Hills;

2.A minimum GPA of at
least 3.5 in all courses used to satisfy the upper division requirements in the
major;

See the "Requirements for the Bachelor's
Degree" in the University Catalog for complete details on general
degree requirements.A minimum of 40
units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.

Elective Requirements

Completion of elective courses (beyond the
requirements listed below) to reach a total of a minimum of 120 units.

General Education
Requirements (55-62 units)

See the "General Education" requirements in
the University Catalog or the Class Schedule for the most current
information on General Education requirements and course offerings.

Graduation Writing
Assessment Requirement

See
the "Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement" in the University
Catalog.

Minor Requirements

Student completing this major will need to complete a
minor in another field.

Major Requirements
(33 units)

The following courses, or their approved transfer
equivalents, are required of all candidates for this degree.

2.Electives(12 units):Select four additional upper division courses in sociology with the
assistance of an advisor.

Basic Areas of Study

The Sociology Department recommends that each student
select an area for the major or minor.At least four elective courses should be taken from that chosen area of
study (Upon consultation with an advisor a student may elect to substitute
another course for one in his/her specialty).

Five courses selected upon advisement (a maximum of
six lower division units may apply toward the minor).The department also provides advisors who pay
particular attention to the professional needs of students working in the
technical, administrative and business fields.Minor areas may be “tailor-made” to meet the specific educational
interests and career needs of students (see previous academic advisement section).

The
Undergraduate Certificate in Social Research is designed to qualify recipients
to participate fully in all phases of research projects from the initial
conceptualization to the final report writing.To qualify for the certificate candidates must demonstrate their
competence in conceptualization, research design, sampling design, instrument
design, data collection, data analysis and report writing.This program is open to non-sociology majors.

A.The following required
courses may be applied to the major in Sociology(26 units):

To be considered for admission to the Sociology
Graduate Program, applicants must complete the appropriate forms and pay the
established fees through the Office of Admissions. Successful applicants must
possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a
grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 semester units (90 quarter units) of
upper division undergraduate course work (excluding units earned in extension
studies). The applicant should have two letters of recommendation forwarded to
the program coordinator. Applicants not possessing the above qualifications may
apply directly to the Sociology Graduate Committee for special consideration.

Only
those applicants who show promise of success and fitness will be admitted to
the graduate program, and only those who continue to demonstrate a satisfactory
level of scholastic competence and fitness shall be eligible to continue in the
program.

Requirements for
Classified Standing

To become classified in the Sociology Graduate
Program, a student must demonstrate a background in social science theory and
methods. This usually entails a theory and a methods course taken at the
undergraduate level. Students in need of this exposure will be required to take
appropriate undergraduate theory and/or methods course(s) in order to be
classified. Students eligible for classification should contact the graduate
coordinator.

Requirement for
Advancement to Candidacy

Candidacy status denotes the successful completion of
a major portion of the graduate academic program.

To be advanced to candidacy students must have
completed the following:

1.Meet graduate writing
assessment requirement;

2.The following core
courses with a minimum grade of “B”
in each course:

3.Completion of two
additional graduate seminars in sociology with a minimum grade point average of
3.0;

4.Approval of the
student’s eligibility for the comprehensive exam by the graduate coordinator;
or

5.Approval of a thesis
or thematic project proposal by a committee consisting of at least two members
of the full- time faculty of the sociology department.Proposals are submitted in writing and the
title is registered with the department.

2.Classified students are
required to take SOC 505, Seminar in Sociological Research, and SOC 555,
Seminar in Sociological Theory, during their first year in the program.

3.20 additional units
from sociology course offerings (a maximum of nine units may be taken from 300
or 400 level courses and only with the consent of the graduate coordinator).

4.Completion of the
comprehensive exam, thesisor thematic
project.

5.Of the 20 units taken
under “3”, at least three should be graduate seminars, those students selecting
the thesis or the project may include five units ofSOC 599.Those students selecting the comprehensive examination option must
include two units of SOC 599.

6.An overall grade point
average of 3.0 or better with no grade lower than a “B” in the core courses.

Research Skills Option (30 units)

1.Prerequisites

The following courses are prerequisites and
must be completed before classified standing in the program will be granted.

NOTE:A total of 16
units of SOC 502 and SOC 302 must be taken and at least 12 units must be in SOC
502.)

4.Serve as project
director (or co-director) of a selected Centerfor Policy Research and Evaluation sponsored project for the minimum of
one term and the submission of an approved written report of the project.

5.A grade point average
of 3.0 or better in graduate study.

Master’s Requirement

In addition to the major requirements, students must
meet all university requirements for the master’s degree.Students should consult the section of the
catalog entitled “Graduate Degrees and Postbaccalaureate Studies."

Outdated Coursework

Students usually complete the program within two or
three years.However, some students do
not maintain continuous attendance and, hence, take considerably longer.Students must complete the entire program
within seven years.Courses taken in the
eighth year are subject to a validation process.According to California State University
policy courses taken more than eight years before the student graduates must
be repeated. Consult the general
regulations regarding "outdated coursework" elsewhere in the catalog.

Certificate in Social Research - Graduate (34
units)

The Graduate Certificate in Social Research is
designed to qualify recipients to supervise researchers in all phases of
research projects from the initial conceptualization to the final report
writing.To obtain the certificate,
candidates must demonstrate their competence to teach and supervise researchers
in conceptualization, research design, sampling design, data collection, data
analysisand report writing.Note:The student in the certificate program must meet the admission
requirements for the Sociology Master’s Degree Program and must maintain a 3.0
(“B”) average.

A.The following required
courses may be applied to the master of arts degree in Sociology (18 units):

NOTE:A total of 16
units must be taken from B, including at least 12 units of SOC 502.

Course Offerings

The credit value for each course in semester units is
indicated for each term by a number in parentheses following the title.For course availability, please see the list
of tentative course offerings in the current Class Schedule.

Lower Division

SOC 101The Individual in Society (3).

An introduction to
the study of self, socialization, and social interaction. Interpersonal
relations and the structure
of social roles; deviance and normality in everyday life.

Dynamics of the basic
units of society, such as marriage and family groups, associations, and
bureaucracy.Study of work, class and
mobility, conflict and cooperation, crime, delinquency and social control.

Examination of
methods employed in the investigation of sociological phenomena.Consideration of the research process as a
whole, including quantitative and qualitative techniques.Includes supplemental workshop. Three hours
of lecture and two hours of activity per week.

Exploration of
individualized data base systems for social science. Creation and management of
data base files, both user generated and commercial software.Emphasis on the usefulness of the
microcomputer in storing, accessing and analyzing social science data, report
generation and accessing mainframe archives. One hour of lecture and four hours
of activity per week.

Prerequisites: SOC 220 or its equivalent is
required; SOC 401 is recommended.

Consideration of the
integral involvement of statistics in research, with special emphasis on
multivariate techniques. Criteria for selection of appropriate techniques.Three hours of lecture and three hours
laboratory per week.

The developmental
processes occurring throughout the life-cycle with special focus on problems
and issues surrounding middle and old age.Utilization of demographic, cross-cultural, family, community, and
societal studies to explore the socialdimensions of aging.

Examination of the
organization and functions of educational institutions, comparison of American
educational systems with educational systems in industrial and developing
nations.Special attention given to the
impact of schools on the life choices of culturally diverse groups.

An integrative study
of socialization factors of the young child from various backgrounds and
patterns of relationships between the teacher, parent, and community figures in
culturally diverse situations.

Social and cultural
aspects of health, health behavior, and health organizations.Research on the distribution of disease in
society, organization of health professions, social change, health care, stress
and disease.Examination of social and
cultural factors affecting utilization and structure of health services.

Analysis of the changing
role of women in different historical and cultural settings.Emphasis on the conflict women face from the
value and belief systems of their cultures, those of their broader society and
their social identity as women.The
course will draw on material from diverse cultures, including both
industrialized and developing countries.

A study of major
social movements with varying specific emphasis on topical problems or relevant
issues from semester to semester.For
example, a specific semester may be devoted to Social Movements: Black
Awareness; or Social Movements: Utopias.Repeatable course.

The reciprocal
influence that individuals and groups exert on one another from a sociological
perspective.Focus on language and other
symbolic processes, role taking and role playing, and the importance of the
self-concept in interpersonal behavior.

Study and discussion
of social interaction in small groups.Historical and theoretical background, research findings, leadership,
and the small group as a social system. Classroom exercises in group dynamics.Three hours of seminar per week.

Analysis of
contemporary sociological theories with attention to historical origins.
Relationship of theory to research and theory construction.Includes supplemental theory building
workshop. Three hours of lecture and two hours of activity per week.

Examines gang
phenomena nationally and regionally.Focus on organizational, behavioral, etiological, and preventive factors
associated with development and perpetuation.Street, motorcycle, prison, ethnic and other subcultural formations are
examined.

Introduction to drugs
and alcohol as a contemporary social problem.Sociological analysis of drug use and abuse.Course includes systematic review of policy
implications and therapeutic applications of sociology of drug use, especially
chemical dependency and alcoholism.

Consideration of
deviant behavior.Study of the forms and
processes of deviance, and the distribution of its occurrence.A systematic analysis of particular kinds of
violations of normative rules as related to general processes of interaction in
everyday social activities.

The social context
within which legal systems function, the effectiveness of law as a mechanism of
social control,the relationship between
law and social change, and the social basis for the administration of justice
and punishment.

Theories of the
genesis of crime: patterns of criminal behavior; nature of criminal
organizations; analysis of relationship of crime to the social structure;
criminal statistics and crime rates: police and the criminal justice
system.

Social context,
definition, implications, and causes of juvenile delinquency as a social
phenomenon; analysis of factors associated with delinquent behavior.Problems of adjustment of delinquents and
factors in treatment and in post-treatment adjustment.

Prerequisites:Fulfillment of EPT and ELM requirement; POL 304 and THE 120 are
recommended.

Training course of
the Stanley Mosk Moot Court Competition.Case study of a selected problem and its progress through the legal
system.Emphasis on difference between
social and legal solutions.Students
argue case before attorneys and judges.Repeatable course for up to three times.
Two hours of lecture and two hours of activity per week.

Field experiences in
the urban setting, with special emphasis upon investigation and understanding
of the human and social dimensions of urban problems.Two hours of lecture and two hours of
activity per week.

Analysis of the
importance of social and environmental factors within the helping context.
Particular emphasis on variety of settings for helping, and on issues of social
ethics and cultural sensitivities.

Practicum in theory
and research culminating in preparation of a public report.Entire experience is based on professional
research projects in the Social Systems Research Center.Student is expected to assume some
supervisory responsibility.Repeatable
course.Eight hours of workshop per
week.

Ethnographic
fieldwork and analysis in Sociology. Theories and techniques of field observations
and methods of analysis of observational data, including field notes,
documents, and audio-visual records.Concentration on methods of doing sociology so as to extrapolate
principles of social behavior from observation of on- going activities in
organized settings.Three hours of
seminar per week.

Co-requisites: SOC 505 is required for
Sociology graduate students and recommended for all others.

Laboratory exercises
in the application of research techniques, including formulation of the
research problem, case selection, instrument design, observation, data
reduction and processing, analysis, and interpretation. Three hours of
laboratory per week.

An examination of the
basic forms of social organization in historical and comparative
perspective.The basic social scientific
conceptions of social organization will be compared and contrasted in terms of
methodological and policy implications.Three hours of seminar per week.

A sociological
examination of contemporary social issues and changes affecting marriage and
family life in American society.Normative and alternative family and marital life styles will be
explored. Three hours of seminar per week.

A detailed
sociological discussion and presentation of theoretical and methodological
issues and problems in the field
of social gerontology.Fieldwork will be
conducted.Three hours of seminar per
week.

Experience in both
the theoretical and practical study of microsociology. Stress on the small
group, with specific concern for problems such as communication, leadership,
decision-making, gamesmanship, equilibrium, and change.Relevant research literature reviewed, and
laboratory experiments in interaction processes conducted. Three hours of
seminar per week.

Asystematic inquiry into the experience of
racial and ethnic minorities in the United States.Analysis of the sociological literature on
interethnic relations, ethnic stratification and inequality. Implications for
social policy.Three hours of seminar
per week.

Analysis of the
situation of the elderly within selected population groups including the black
aged, Mexican-American aged, the aging woman, the rural and urban poor
aged.Community resource persons will
be invited to participate.Three hours
of seminar per week.

Social scientific
approach to chemical substance use, misuse and dependency.Analysis of contemporary and historical
definitions of alcohol and drug use.Origin, maintenance and transformation of patterns of drug use.Social responses to abuse and politics of use
and abuse.Three hours of seminar per
week.

Analysis of specific
issues in criminology.Issues that may
be considered include the following: causative theories, major types of crime,
formal crime control agencies, and prevention and control.Three hours of seminar per week.

Investigation of the
causes, nature and consequences of Juvenile Delinquency from a sociological
perspective.Reading and discussion of
theoretical studies and empirical research. Three hours of seminar per week.

A course designed to
consider sociological analysis of a variety of special interest topics.The repeatable nature of the course makes it
possible for students to work with more than one instructor on a topic of particular
interest to the student. Course may be repeated once for a total of 6
units.Three hours of seminar per week.

Supervised experience
in teaching Sociology.Techniques and
skills appropriate to instruction at the college level.Instructional and valuative experiences under
supervision of sociology faculty.Repeatable for credit for a maximum of six units.

Graduate students who
have completed their coursework but not their thesis, project, or comprehensive
examination,
or who have other requirements remaining for the completion of their degree,
may maintain continuous attendance by enrolling in this course.Signature of graduate program coordinator
required.

Infrequently Offered
Courses

The following courses are scheduled only on a
"demand" basis.Students
should consult the department office for information about the next scheduled
offering.

Introduction to basic
research and presentational skills of Sociology and social and behavioral
sciences.Skills development in research
and writing, using library and other data sources, organizing projects, writing
reports.One hour of lecture and four
hours of activity per week.

Study of religion
from sociological perspective:how
religions are enacted and expressed as social and cultural events; the relation
of religion to social structures; emphasis of the awareness of religion as an
aspect of complex multiethnic society.